Saturday, October 25, 2008

A tale of two hoaxes

Two news stories crossed paths this weekend. One that should have been resolved and one new one that will be short-lived.

At the center of both are troubled women and racism.

Ashley Todd is probably a name and face familiar to you by now. She's the college student who took the year off to work for the McCain campaign and has admitted (after less than 24 hours) that she was perpetrating a hoax. Quite rightly most news sources, including Fox, Hot Air, Newsbusters and such took this pill with caution. They waited to see how it would pan out before starting to call for people's heads.

Ms. Todd's hoax featured a boogey man right out of some poorly drawn, worse written KKK or White Power comic book. She is facing criminal prosecution for filing a false police report.

Meanwhile back at the ranch...

We have quite another story. Someone who by all rights should be wearing a prison jumpsuit is pimping her new book where she continues to slander men proven innocent.

Crystal Mangum is a name familiar to anyone who has read of the Duke Lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape. We know the story, including the fact that faculty members wanted to destroy the accused men without any proof, just the words of the accuser.

Even after the physical evidence cleared the accused there were faculty who would not apologize for calling for a lynching.

It is less well known that while Nifong got a slap on the wrist sentence and disbarred (instead of tarred, feathered and publicly executed to warn all the rest of the DAs what can happen when they railroad innocent people) Mangum was never charged.

Now, let's go into this. Ashley Todd recanted in less than 24 hours.

Mangum STILL insists she was raped and is publishing a book. She is NOT sorry she attempted to destroy three innocent people and is sucking around for sympathy. And cash. Lots of cash.

This disparity brings to mind another infamous charge or racisim and rape. Tawana Brawley. She was never brought up on criminal charges, either.

It is interesting to note that even KNOWING that the accused were innocent Patrica J. Williams wrote of Brawley "has been the victim of some unspeakable crime. No matter how she got there. No matter who did it to her— and even if she did it to herself."

I really must ask: Is this what Patricia J. Williams would say of Ashley Todd?

I'll put money that she won't.

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